Goodson-Todman Productions
Goodson-Todman Productions was a long-running and long-serving television production company formed by Mark Goodson and his longtime partner Bill Todman. Together, they produced and created some of the long-running and greatest game show formats ever in television history. While they attempted to produce other types of TV shows, such as The Web, The Richard Boone Show, and the Chuck Connors classic Branded, none of these were particularly successful. After Bill died in 1979, Mark ran his company solo; he acquired Todman's share of the company in 1982, and renamed it as simply Mark Goodson Productions, with the closing spiel altered to A Mark Goodson Television Production to keep it in line with the original. The first shows to use this were Child's Play and Family Feud, while the rest of the pre-1982 shows slowly disbanded the Goodson-Todman for Mark Goodson's name up to 1984. The company slowly disbanded after Mark Goodson died on December 18, 1992. Mark's son, Jonathan, continued to run the company through 1995, when the family sold the rights to the library of shows (except for Concentration, which had been licensed by NBC) to All-American Television (which later became Pearson Television, now FremantleMedia), in order to pay off a massive inheritance tax. The Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement continued to be used on some of the shows in production at the time, despite the actual company no longer being in existence. The name, logo, and announcement was used on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth during the end credits for its run, as well as the 1999 revival of Family Feud and the 2001 revival of Card Sharks until 2002. The Price is Right continued to sign off with the Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement all the way up until Bob Barker retired in 2007. After that, the usage of the Mark Goodson company was no more. Price started using the FremantleMedia name, logo, and announcement, and is still used to this day (although current CBS press releases for the show refer to it as "a Mark Goodson Production, in association with FrematleMedia"). Some of the producers who worked on some of the Goodson-Todman shows went on to form their successful (and not-so-successful) game show companies. They were: *Bob Stewart *Robert "Bobby" Sherman *Jay Wolpert *Steve Ryan *Merv Griffin *Jonathan Goodson (Mark's son) Not all Goodson-Todman shows were created by Mark & Bill; some were created by the following producers working for Goodson-Todman: At one time, then-blackballed producer Jack Barry worked for Goodson-Todman Productions and the company helped him create The Joker's Wild. Barry and Goodson-Todman broke contact with each other after Barry relaunched his TV career. Two of Mark Goodson's children, Jonathan and Marjorie (née Cagle), worked on the company's shows in front of and behind the cameras. Game Shows Produced Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (1946–1982) *''Beat the Clock'' (1950–1961, 1969–1974, 1979–1980) *''The Better Sex'' (1977–1978) *''Blockbusters'' (1980–1982, 1987) *''By Popular Demand'' (1950) *''Call My Bluff'' (1965) *''Card Sharks'' (1978–1981, 1986–1989, 2001-2002) *''Child's Play'' (1982, pilots only) *''Choose Up Sides'' (1956) *''Concentration'' (1973–1978) *''Double Dare'' (1976–1977) *''Family Feud'' (1976–1985, {changed from Goodson-Todman to Mark Goodson in 1983} 1988–1995, 1999-present {dropped the Mark Goodson logo in 2002}) *''Get the Message'' (1964) *''He Said She Said'' (1969–1970) *''It's News To Me'' (1951–1953, 1954) *''I've Got a Secret'' (1952–1967, 1972–1973, 1976) *''Judge for Yourself'' (1953–1954) *''Make the Connection'' (1955) *''Match Game'' (1962–1969, 1973–1982, 1990–1991, 1998-1999) *''Mindreaders'' (1979–1980) *''Missing Links'' (1963–1964) *''The Name's the Same'' (1951–1954, 1954–1955) *''Now You See It'' (1974–1975, 1989) *''Number Please'' (1961) *''Password'' (1961–1967, 1971–1975) *''Password Plus'' (1979–1982) *''Play Your Hunch'' (1958–1963) *''The Price is Right'' (1956–1965, 1972-present {changed from Goodson-Todman to Mark Goodson in 1984, dropped the Goodson logo in 2007}) *''Say When!!'' (1961–1965) *''Showoffs'' (1975) *''Snap Judgment'' (1967–1969) *''Split Personality'' (1959–1960) *''TattleTales'' (1974–1978, 1982–1984) *''To Tell the Truth'' (1956–1968, 1969–1978, 1980–1981, 1990–1991, 2000-2002) *''Two for the Money'' (1952–1956, 1957) *''What's Going On?'' (1954) *''What's My Line?'' (1950–1967, 1968–1975) *''Winner Take All'' (1946–1950, 1951, 1952) Mark Goodson Television Productions (1982–2007) *''Body Language'' (1984–1986) *''Bonus Bonanza'' (1995) *''Child's Play'' (1982–1983) *''Classic Concentration'' (1987-1991) *''Flamingo Fortune'' (1995) *''Illinois Instant Riches'' (1994-1998; {dropped the Mark Goodson logo in 1996}) *''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' (1983–1984) *''Super Password'' (1984-1989) *''Trivia Trap'' (1984–1985) Specials (1975, 1984) NOTE: Both aired on ABC. *''What's My Line? at 25'' (1975) *''TV's Funniest Game Show Moments'' (1984) Unsold Pilots Note that this list includes some revivals of prior shows. *''Nothing But the Truth'' (1956, the original version of To Tell the Truth) *''Body Talk'' (1990) *''Card Sharks'' (1996) *''Concentration'' (1985) *''Classic Concentration II'' (1992, never got past runthrough stage) *''It Had to Be You'' (1963) *''It's Predictable'' (1970) *''Match Game/MG2'' (1996) *''Now You See It'' (1985) *''Oddball'' (1986) *''On a Roll'' (1986) *''Play For Keeps!'' (1955) *''Puzzlers'' (1980) *''Rate Your Mate'' (1951 TV adaptation of the radio show) *''Spell Binders'' (1978) *''Star Words'' (1983) *''Take Your Choice'' (1954) *''TKO'' (1989) Unsold Pilots based on Goodson-Todman Formats *''What's My Line?'' (2000) *''What the Blank!'' (2004 remake of Match Game) *''Match Game'' (2008) Shows based on Goodson-Todman Formats (2000-2009, 2014, 2016) NOTE: most of the shows on the list (except for IGAS) are currently being produced by FremantleMedia North America *''Beat the Clock'' (2002-2003) *''Celebrity Family Feud'' (2008, 2015-present) *''I've Got a Secret'' (2000-2001 {Produced by Oxygen Media LLC}, 2006 {Produced by Burt Dubrow Productions}) *''Road to Price'' (2006; a short-lived six episode web series) *''Million-Dollar Password'' (2008-2009) *''The Price is Right Male Model Search'' (2014; a short-lived five episode webisode series) *''To Tell the Truth'' (2016; originally taped in 2015) *''Match Game'' (2016) Buzzr (YouTube) Shows based on Goodson-Todman Formats *''Beat the Clock'' (2015-present) *''Body Language'' (2015-present) *''Family Feud'' (2014-present) *''Password'' (2015-present) Shows based on Goodson-Todman Formats not by Mark Goodson Productions *''NY Wired'' (1997-1999) *''Illinois' Luckiest'' (1998-2000) *''You Lie Like a Dog'' (2000, animal-themed version of To Tell the Truth) *''The Big Spin'' (2000-2003 format) *''Gameshow Marathon'' (2006; five of the seven episodes were based on Goodson-Todman formats: The Price is Right, Beat the Clock, Card Sharks, Match Game, and Family Feud) *''¿Que Dice la Gente?'' (2006-2008; Spanish-language version of Family Feud) *''Dame la Pista'' (2008; Spanish language version of Child's Play) *''100 Latinos Dijeron'' (2013-present; Spanish-language version of Family Feud) *''Philly Pheud'' (2013-present; Philadelphia-area clone of Family Feud) Gallery MGTP6.jpg|Shows Logos MGTP4b.jpg|List of International versions of their shows in different countries Press Ads MGTP1.jpg MGTP2.jpg MGTP3.jpg MGTP4a.jpg MGTP5.jpg GoodsonTodmanProductions.JPG GoodsonTodman2.JPG GoodsonTodman3.JPG FFoo3b.jpg GTAD1981.png GT1949.png GT1953.png GT1955.png GT1956.png GT1960.png GT1955.png GT1959.png Logos "In Association with Mark Goodson" STM21.png|Stop the Music 1955 "A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production" Over the years, the company name appeared in different fonts depending on the show and sometimes had an asterisk over & under it. What's My Line? Markgoodson-todman5.jpeg|What's My Line? 1972 Markgoodson-todman11.jpeg|What's My Line? at 25 1975 To Tell the Truth Markgoodson-todman2.jpeg|To Tell the Truth 1968 MGBT-TTTT80.jpg|To Tell the Truth 1980 Password (All-Stars/Plus) GTLogo.jpg|Password 1964 Markgoodson-todman9.jpeg|Password All-Stars 1975 GOODSON TODMAN.jpg|Password Plus 1982 Beat the Clock MGBT-BTC69 1.jpg|Here's the variant from Jack Narz's run. MGBT-BTC69 2.jpg|The variant from Gene Wood's run is seen in lowercase letters. 185px-CL83.jpg|From the 1979 pilot. MGBT-BTC79.jpg|The logo with the asterisks from The All-New (All-Star) Beat the Clock over chasing lights on the set. Similar to the asterisks used from The Price is Right. MGBT-BTC79b.jpg|The logo with the asterisks from The All-New (All-Star) Beat the Clock over a shot of an audience on the set. Similar to the asterisks used from The Price is Right. Concentration MGBT-CONC73a.jpg|1973 era MGBT-CONC73.jpg|1974 era The Price is Right MGBT-TPIR1.jpg|The early variant in the Pricedown font from 1972. MGBT-TPIR2.jpg|A variant with yellow G-T asterisks was used from after the earliest episodes up until 1975. MGBT_TPIR_James.jpg MGBT-TPIR5.jpg|A variant with white G-T asterisks and the names still horizontal from 1975. TPIR_MG'75_James.jpg MGBT-TPIR3.jpg|A variant with white asterisks and the names side by side and in two rows each from 1975 to April 6, 1984. MGBT-TPIR4.jpg|A variant seen on episodes with full credit roll from 1981 to April 1984. Family Feud MGBT-FF75Pilot.jpg|The logo against a yellow background. Can you see it? It must be camouflaged. Markgoodson-todman12.jpeg|Taken from premiere week. MGBT_FF.jpg MGBT-FF77 1.jpg|The logo against a BG filled with lights from the game board. MGBT-FF77 2.jpg|The logo appeared while a family could be seen talking with host Richard Dawson during the credits. CL78.jpg '78.png CL86.jpg FFGT.jpg|The logo had also appeared over a shot of just one family member. It only happened very rarely in Richard's first run. a4299107404332a7c11c2dc4ef5c8667.jpg Match Game NOTE: On the 1970s versions, the logo and credits would appear over any episode's closing act inside an "Orange Popsicle" lighting prop, which would spin around to change from one camera shot to another during the credits. MGBT-MG1.jpg|An extremely rare variant with orange asterisks and the word "Production" in green instead of the usual white, from Match Game 73 with Michael Landon. mg'73.png MGBTP_MG'73_Pilot_B.jpg MGBT_MG'75.jpg MGBT-MG2.jpg|A variant in blue from a later episode of any other 70s version, with Charles Nelson Reilly. Tattletales Markgoodson-todman6.jpeg|Tattletales 1974, with the asterisks mMf0mSQRlOgQjOqwPrRFdQ41475.jpg|Tattletales 1982, minus the asterisks Double Dare MG_DD'76_Premiere.jpg MGBT-DD.jpg Dd mgbt.jpg The Better Sex MGBT1977.png|The Better Sex 1977 pilot MGBT-TBS'78Finale.jpg|1978 Finale Card Sharks 1978 MGBT-CSP1.jpg MGBT-CSP.jpg|Card Sharks 1978 Pilot MGBT_CS.jpg MGBT-CS78.jpg|Card Sharks 1978 Series MGBT_CS'81.jpg Blockbusters 1980 CL90.jpg CL92.jpg MGBT-BB.jpg Other Shows See notes & information below this gallery. MGBTP-PFK!.jpg|Play For Keeps! (1955 pilot) saywhen.png|Say When!! 1961 MGBT-NYSI74.jpg|Now You See It 1974 GTShowoffs.png|Showoffs 1975 MGBT-IGAS76.jpg|I've Got a Secret 1976 MGTLogo.png|Mindreaders 1979 TML.png|That's My Line 1980 MGBT-PuzzlersPilot.jpg|Puzzlers (1980 pilot) cppilotcredits1.JPG|Child's Play (1982 Pilot) *'Password 1964' - A black-and-white version from Password in 1964. All episodes of the original show had the logo and credits in lowercase. *'Concentration 1973' - A variant as seen on Jack Narz's version of Concentration as announcer Johnny Olson signed off. *'Now You See It 1974' - A variant on Jack Narz's version of Now You See It in which Mark and Bill's names appear on the game board. Taken from the show's premiere. *'Double Dare 1976' - A variant from Double Dare in which the logo and credits would appear on the main game board in either yellow or white, depending on the episode. After the credits, the title would appear the same way as in the opening but with the two weird shapes coming together afterwards. *'Mindreaders 1979' - Mindreaders had the logo at the bottom of the screen in a different font. "A Mark Goodson Television Production" The Price is Right MG_TPIR'85.jpg MGTV-TPIR1.jpg|From March 18, 1987, the classic mechanical version used 1984-1996. MGTV-TPIR2.jpg|A computerized variant from the 1990s. MGTV-TPIR94.jpg|A computerized variant from Doug Davidson's nighttime version. mg_tpir.jpg|Another computerized version from the 2000s. mgtp 2004.PNG|From a 2004 episode, another computerized variant. mgtp.PNG|Taken from Bob Barker's final show in 2007. This is also Mark Goodson Television Productions’ final day before switching to FremantleMedia. Family Feud MGTV-FF84.jpg|A very rare 3D CGI logo MGTV-FF85.jpg|From 1985 at the end of Richard Dawson's final episode until 1994. MGTV-FFRayCombsPilot.jpg|From the 1987 Combs Pilot. MGTV-FFC1992.jpg MG_FFC.jpg MGTV-FFOpryland.jpg|From its first (and only) on-the-road show in Opryland circa 1993. MGTV-FF94.jpg|A computerized variant from Richard's return in 1994. CL129.jpg|From 1999. FFMGLogo.jpg|Another computerized version from Louie Anderson's run. The name and logo was dropped from Feud in 2002. For the logos from the Ray Combs era, see below. Match Game MGTV-MG90pilot.jpg|A mechanical version from the 1989 pilot. MGTV-MG90.jpg|A green version from the 1990-91 ABC run. MG1990.png|Charles Nelson Reilly wearing a red "A Mark Goodson Production" sweater on Match Game '90. MG1998.jpg|A darkish blue logo from the 1998 pitchfilm for Match Game. mgwin10b.JPG|The logo from the 1998 syndicated version, taken from Mandel Ilegan's show. MGTV-MG98.jpg|The logo from the 1998 syndicated version, as seen on WGN cable (now WGN America). Card Sharks MGTV-CS86.jpg.jpg|From the 1986 premiere show against the suit shapes on backdrop. MG_CS'86_Rafferty.jpg MGTV-CS.jpg|From Christmas 1986 Cs2kprod.JPG|From 2001 For more logos from Card Sharks, see below. Now You See It MGTV-NYSI85.jpg|From the 1985 Pilot MGTV-NYSI89.jpg|From the 1989 Series (Classic) Concentration MGTV-CONC85.jpg|The logo appears over a shot of the pilot set. C'85_MGP.jpg MG_CC'87_TS.jpg MGTV-CONC87.jpg|In the series, it appeared over a shot of the set with four rings' worth of lights. Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour CL98.jpg|The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour 1983 MGTV-MGHS.jpg|The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour 1984. Child's Play MGTV-Child's Play2.jpg MGTV-Child's Play.jpg|The mechanical variant as seen over a shot of the Turnabout prop, with four kids, as seen on GSN in 1997. CPMG.png|As seen on the series finale in 1983, over a shot of kids in the audience. Body Language MGP_BL'83_Pilot.jpg|Body Language Pilot 1983 Mark Goodson Productions.jpg|Body Language 1984 Trivia Trap MGTT_'84_Pilot.jpg|Trivia Trap pilot 1984 TTMGLogo.png|Trivia Trap 1985 To Tell the Truth MGTV-TTTT90.jpg|A computerized variant from 1990. After the sign off from Burton Richardson, the logo would zoom in. In earlier weeks prior to the credit roll, that did not occur. tttt00mgproduction.jpg|Another computerized version from 2000, John O'Hurley's run. Illinois Instant Riches MGTV - IIR1.jpg|A rather different version of the logo. MGTV - IIR2.jpg|Here's the real logo as seen on other episodes. Other Shows See notes & information below this gallery. Markgoodson11.jpeg|Tattletales 1982 MGTV-SW83.jpg|Star Words Pilot 1983 185px-CL105.jpg|TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 1984 MGTV-SP.jpg|Super Password 1984 MGTV-OAR.jpg|On a Roll Pilot 1986 MGTV-BB87.jpg|Blockbusters 1987 MGP_TKO.jpg|TKO Pilot 1989 MGP_BT.jpg|Body Talk Pilot 1990 MGCT1994.png|Cash Tornado Pilot 1994 MGTV-Bonus Bonanza.jpg|Bonus Bonanza 1995 MGTV - FlamFort.jpg|Flamingo Fortune 1995 *'1983 Star Words Pilot' - A variant from the 1983 pilot Star Words. *'Body Language 1984' - The mechanical variant from Body Language. *'Super Password 1984' - A yellow computerized variant on Super Password in which the logo flies out of view (with the sound of a jet) after either Rich Jeffries, Gene Wood, or Bob Hilton signed off. *'TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 1984 & On a Roll 1986' - The 3D variant in which the logo would zoom in. *'Card Sharks 1986' - The early variant from the CBS run of Card Sharks in 1986. Also used on the nighttime syndicated version from 1986 to 1987. *'Blockbusters 1987' - The variant from Blockbusters with Bill Rafferty. On episodes with a full credit roll, the staff credits scroll up until the scrolling stops at this logo, which scrolls up to reveal the closing card. The credits and logo appear over a shot of the big blue hexagon (different from the ones on the set). Sometimes, the hexagon zooms out after the credits to reveal a shot of the entire set which by that time went dark. *'Bonus Bonanza 1995' - A giant gold variant. *'Flamingo Fortune' - Flamingo Fortune had the logo over a shot of its own set. Color Coded See notes & information below this gallery. Csprod.JPG|Red - Card Sharks 1988 MGTVRed.jpg|Red - Card Sharks 1989 MGCSFinale.png|Red - Card Sharks 1989 series finale. MGTVRedFamilyFeud88.jpg|Red - Family Feud 1988 wpJ67FAX9Erwx-KufCHwXQ77631.jpg|Blue - Family Feud 1988 MGTVBlue.jpg|Blue - Family Feud 1990 Markgoodson14.jpeg|Blue - Family Feud 1990 *'Card Sharks 1986' - Taken from 1989 CBS daytime Card Sharks finale. *'Family Feud 1988' - Shown on the CBS daytime and nighttime syndicated versions of Family Feud with Ray Combs. Early episodes used the red variant, while later episodes used the standard version. Links Mark Goodson Television Productions Brochure Mark Goodson Wiki Category:Production Companies Category:Defunct Production Companies Category:Goodson-Todman Productions